1/9/10

Can Pinocchio Come Out and Play? Things Look Like Humans

I have been noticing things in the news that taken alone are just hopeful medical or impressive tech stories, but together makes me wonder.. when is the Robot coming? There is seemingly enough "stuff" out there, or soon to come, to assemble a pretty extraordinary robot by now. Question is when will this Pinocchio come out to play? It brings up a few questions.

Did the Blue Fairy create a Robot, or a Real Boy made of wood?



Pinocchio dies saving his family from the nightmarish whale. In return he is gifted with "real" life.



The only thing that changes about him as a soul is what he's made of. Are building materials the ruler on which something is judged to have rights? If he's killed as a "real" boy is it a crime, if so, why not when he's made of wood, if he's still the same "person"? It's easy to assume that most people would think a wooden or metal, artificially created person should have no rights, but what of one made of the same stuff we are? Well this is a children's tale that isn't real. Right?

What if you really have to face this question because someone skips the wood stage and goes right for flesh and bone? Science Fiction? Science yes but fiction still? Let's assemble a Robot:


Brain


Bones


Muscles


Skin and here too.


Eyes


Nervous System and here too.


Heart


Blood Vessels and Blood, here too

Internal Organs and Hands and Feet.

Features they could have built-in...



Helping Children with Autism
A Womb, Great Conversation Skills, Moving Things with their Brains will give them a lucrative future as magicians, Balance by learning from its mistakes, Knowing what it's Tasting (sort of..), Cooking for and Feeding you, Sensing your Every Need, Music Appreciation, Color Identification, Self Defense, Could they look like a Loved One, Could You Fall in Love with One? Would they like a Pet? Buy a Car?

Some of the Prejudice they will face.

This is just a small sample of what is publicly known. I am sure there is much more not revealed. Whether we like it or not it looks like the not-so-far future will have these new human/humanoid rights issues arise.

What side will you take?




  • Blade Runner (Five-Disc Complete Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray]
  • Pinocchio (Two-Disc 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition)
  • A.I. - Artificial Intelligence (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)
  • Star Trek: The Next Generation - Complete Series
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